“When we trust our creativity we encounter a supreme kind of enjoyment an amazement at the natural unfolding of life beyond our ordinary way of looking at things.” Kongtrul Jigme Namgyel
Breakers on the Jetty Mixed Media
It is hard to imagine a life without music, sculpture, painting, literature, theater, or dance. I love the following quote that has gone around during the pandemic.
“IF YOU THINK ARTISTS ARE USELESS SPEND YOUR QUARANTINE WITHOUT MUSIC, BOOKS, POEMS, MOVIES, PAINTINGS AND GAMES”
Art is the “primordial instinct” of all humans to express creatively their appreciation for life, their history, and their progress over time. and this has been the case since the time of our ancient human ancestors. It is part of “mans” survival and development!
Unfortunately, many people think of creativity as belonging to “the artist”. But creative energy is innate and spontaneously present in all of us. It has just been allowed to develop more in some individuals than in others.
Some people have no interest in creating within the various “art forms” but that does not make them less creative. Our innate creativity comes out in many places.
Art is also not just what is pleasing to us. It is the entirety of our human experience. Most people show preferences when it comes to art forms, but a general understanding and appreciation of all forms should be a goal for everyone. It is appreciating and respecting the most intimate feelings of another person.
Again, this week a reader wrote “I just can’t find my creativity”. It is there! Dig deeper! Let go of the “I can’t do this, I don’t know how, it doesn’t turn out the way I thought it would”. To truly create you must let go of the need to control and enjoy the experience. Stop judging every brush stroke, every word use, every movement made, every note played, and worrying about what others will say and think. Create! When you are done there will be time enough to rearrange, edit, and make necessary changes.
It is a natural egoistic tendency, of us humans, to try to arrange things the way we see them in our head, rather than letting them unfold. If you let what is inside you unfold and appreciate it for what it is, you will reach a point where your creative spirit will erupt.
When we talk about creating art it means trusting our inner creativity to express who we are. The creative energy put into the creation of a work of art reflects our depth and in turn communicates this to others. Innate or primordial creativity is in all of us. It is us! We just need to let go, to let it out. That is hard because we want everyone to love our creations in order to confirm our existence. Unfortunately, our insecurities, hopes, and fears haunt us. None of which are good for the creative process.
Yes, you are creative, and yes you can be creative, just get rid of the hurdles you put in front of yourself.
Stay safe. Carolyn
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